Haunted Lemp Mansion

Lemp Mansion was built in the 1860's in St. Louis, MO, not far from the Mississippi River.  It is a beautiful 3-story building that now serves as a B&B for visitors. It is just down the street from Lemp Brewery, and less than 4 miles from the Gateway Arch.  If you get a chance to visit Lemp Mansion, be sure to check out their restaurant.  My friends and I enjoyed a wonderful steak dinner in their dining room.

Lemp Mansion

Lemp Brewery

History

John Adam Lemp immigrated from Germany in the 1830's and quickly set himself up as a business man by establishing a grocery store. He set himself apart from other grocers by being able to brew and sell lager beer. He learned how to brew from his father and the cave system that lies beneath St. Louis the mansion supplied temperatures ideal for aging his beer.  It was with this lager that he started Lemp Brewery after giving up the grocery business in 1840.

Lemp’s move into the brewery business brough him financial success and, by the 1870's, Lemp Brewery was known as the largest brewery in the area. Demand for Lemp’s lager grew so much that that brewery grew in size to that of ten city blocks. Lemp was succeeded by his son William J. Lemp. 

The grounds outside Lemp Mansion

The Mansion

The mansion was built in the 1860’s and it served as both a residence and satellite offices for the brewery. It was as a truly impressive home with a radiator system, an elevator, a basement restaurant, hand-painted fixtures, Italian marble, and servants’ quarters on the third floor. The Lemp family were art collectors and they maintained multiple large vaults in which to store their valuable art.

The cave system beneath the mansion is no longer accessible however it once housed an auditorium, ballroom, and swimming pool. There was also a tunnel that went from the mansion to Lemp Brewery just down street. The mansion was truly a marvel of the time!

One of the dining room areas

A Tragic Family

The Lemp family experienced a series of tragedies despite their hard earned success. William’s son Frederick Lemp died under suspicious and mysterious circumstances in 1901. Still grief stricken, William committed suicide by shooting himself in the family mansion in 1904. William J Lemp, Jr succeeded his father upon his death.

It doesn’t end there either. The brewery business was declining with the brewery closing permanently during Prohibition in 1919. William Jr’s sister Elsa committed suicide in 1920, followed by William Jr shooting himself in the mansion in 1922. William III died of a heart attack in 1943 leaving his uncle Charles living in the mansion as somewhat of a recluse. He ultimately killed himself with a shotgun.

One of the dining room areas

My Experiences

So I don't really have a lot to tell you about regarding paranormal experiences here. My friends and I moved from room to room and, while there were little things here and there, we did not get anything documented on video.  We used an EMF pump in one room but it didn’t seem to assist in ghostly manifestations. I would love to spend a few days there which would give us more opportunities to investigate and record something.

My special needs daughter was staying with a caregiver at the Hilton near the arch and, when I brought them over to see the B&B the next morning, she looked in the direction of one of the dining rooms and asked if anyone had died in there.  There is nothing there that would have told her someone died there so I can only guess that sensed something.  She has had experiences of her own over the years in various places and I suspect she is a bit sensitive like me.

One of the bedrooms

Note to Paranormal Investigators

The mansion is susceptible to noise from the street so you will have to debunk well for that.  There are several windows too so video and camera pics are likely to be a challenge as well. 

Lemp Bar

Summary

My friends and I would love to get into Lemp Brewery down the street or the caves that lie beneath but we were unable to gain access (thank you Jackie for trying!).  If you get a chance to visit the mansion, it is well worth the walk down the street to snap a few pics of the brewery.  Some of the area around the brewery was being used for parking for nearby businesses so all we could do was walk through and ask questions of those working the parking lot.

Overall, I found Lemp Mansion to be worth the drive from Texas.  While there may be a great deal of sadness in the history of this B&B, it is beautiful nonetheless.  Unless one knows the history or is a sensitive, one might not have a clue of the deaths that occurred here.   The staff here was pleasant and willing to talk about the history so don't be afraid to ask!  For more info about Lemp Mansion, go to http://www.lempmansion.com/history.htm. 

I hope you have fun on your own paranormal adventures and never forget to make this beautiful day count!